Career
Labalaba, aged 30, was shot dead whilst firing a 25-pounder gun at the attacking guerrilla forces. He displayed notable bravery by continuing to fire the 25 pounder single handed in spite of being seriously wounded when a bullet hit him on the jaw, after his Omani loader was seriously wounded early in the battle. Both the troopers were also hit, Takavesi was wounded in the back and Tobin was killed when a round crept through the sand-bagged walls and hit him in the face.
Labalaba"s actions helped to keep the insurgents pinned down until Strikemaster jets of the SOAF arrived to drive back the attackers while reinforcements from Salalah could be organised.
Fellow SAS trooper Roger Cole in his book of the battle, SAS: Operation Storm, paid tribute to Labalaba saying if the guerrilla force had taken the 25-pounder then the SAS would have surely lost the battle. His body was returned to England and buried in the cemetery at Street Martin"s Church, Hereford.
In 2012 he was chosen as one of British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4"s 60 New Elizabethans in celebration of Queen Elizabeth"s Diamond Jubilee.